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Serving Students and the Public Good: HBCUs and the Washington Monthly’s Rankings

UNCF Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute Institute for Capacity Building Acknowledgments

This report was a collaboration between UNCF’s Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute, Drs. Janet Awokoya and David Richards, and UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building, Dr. Clarissa Myrick-Harris. We are also very grateful to Drs. Karl Reid and Brian Bridges for their editorial comments and advice.

Suggested Citation: Awokoya, J., Richards, D., & Myrick-Harris, C. (2012). Serving students and the public good: HBCUs and the Washington Monthly’s College Rankings. Fairfax, VA: Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute, UNCF. Executive Summary Many HBCUs have graduation rates that match and exceed those of many non-HBCUs. Other HBCUs have lower rates, sometimes substantially lower. Such For many, the US News & World Report college comparisons can be misleading, however, because rankings are the gold standard for identifying the they do not take into account the socio-economic country’s best institutions of higher learning. But a backgrounds of the students that serve. Since close analysis of the less well-publicized but highly their founding well over a century ago, HBCUs have respected college rankings compiled by the Washington been dedicated to serving students from low-income Monthly indicates that those rankings may be a better families and those whose pre-college education guide to identifying colleges and universities that has put them at a disadvantage in doing college address one of the nation’s most urgent education coursework. and economic priorities: helping students from low- income, minority families who are often the first in Forty-six percent of HBCU students, for example, their family to attend college—in other words, students come from families with incomes lower than $36,000. who often experience the most difficulty staying on the Fifty percent qualify for Pell Grants, the federal college graduation track—to get the college education government’s largest student-aid program. Forty- they need and that the nation needs them to have. three percent come from families in which they are the first to attend college. Thirty-six percent must An analysis of the 2011 college rankings published take at least one developmental education course in by the Washington Monthly reveals that historically college, learning what they should have been taught in black colleges and universities (HBCUs) outperform high school. HBCUs educate students from the entire many non-HBCUs, including some of the country’s socio-economic spectrum but have become especially best known and most prestigious institutions. Thus, skilled at educating bright students from low-income among liberal arts colleges, Morehouse and Spelman families and students whose K-12 education failed to colleges, both HBCUs, are ranked second and fourth, prepare them to succeed in college. ahead of Swarthmore and Amherst colleges. HBCU is ranked ahead of . Of This report discusses the Washington Monthly’s the 12 HBCUs that appear in the Monthly’s ranking of overall rankings, the social mobility rankings, and the liberal arts colleges, 10 are in the top half and four in graduation rates of both public and private HBCUs. the top 10 percent. Two major conclusions are drawn from this analysis: The Washington Monthly rankings are based on higher • Most HBCUs outperform non-HBCUs in the overall education institutions’ contribution to economic and social mobility rankings. mobility—their ability to improve the economic status of low-income students—and the priority they place on • HBCUs often exceed projections in their ability to encouraging service by their students and graduates. graduate disadvantaged students, one of the areas The rankings reflect predicted and actual graduation included within the social mobility category. When rates—the percentage of a college’s students who, institutions are rated on the basis of actual versus based on their economic and academic backgrounds, predicted graduation rates, HBCUs as a group tend would be expected to graduate, and what percentage to perform as well as or better than other colleges actually graduate—a rough gauge of the value the and universities and significantly better than when college delivers to economically and academically they are evaluated strictly on the basis of actual disadvantaged students and to the country, which graduation rates. needs more college graduates.

Serving Students and the Public Good: HBCUs and the Washington Monthly’s College Rankings 03 This institutional capacity of HBCUs is absolutely critical to increasing the number of college graduates entering the economy. Students from higher-income backgrounds and students whose pre-college education prepares them for college success are, to a large extent, already on the path that leads to college graduation. Increasing the number of college graduates will require colleges and universities to attract, retain and graduate students who, because of financial obstacles or inadequate pre-college education, are not now on that track. A close analysis of the Washington Monthly rankings and the data on which they are based suggests that many HBCUs have exactly that ability.

Students who, because of disadvantage, face long odds Rather than ask the usual in seeking a college education are exactly the students who most need the advantages that come with college, question “What can a college and they are the students the economy most needs to do for you?” the Washington add to the college-educated workforce. They are the Monthly rankings ask: “What very students whose education is the core mission of HBCUs. are colleges doing for the country?” To compete in tomorrow’s global economy, the needs a more college-educated workforce. Institutions of higher education are being held accountable for producing skilled graduates who are able to significantly contribute to helping the U.S. maintain its competitive edge. This report confirms that HBCUs contribute to the social, educational and economic viability of the United States by enrolling and graduating students who are most needed by the economy and who often need the most support. This report finds that HBCUs continue to serve not only the students who attend them, but also the broader economy and society whose continued vitality depends on a diverse, reliable and college-educated workforce.

04 Serving Students and the Public Good: HBCUs and the Washington Monthly’s College Rankings Introduction historically black, and both lower tier according to U.S. News—make our top twenty. 1 The current economic crisis has directed more —Washington Monthly, Liberal Arts Colleges attention to higher education’s responsibility in producing skilled graduates to contribute to the In this ranking system, Morehouse and Spelman social and economic viability of the United States, outrank such institutions as Swarthmore, Amherst and both domestically and internationally. With that Wellesley. Fisk University scores higher than Oberlin responsibility in mind, since 2005 the Washington and Smith colleges. Monthly has published an annual college guide that challenges more conventional guides. Rather than ask the usual question “What can a college do for Purpose of UNCF Report you?” the Washington Monthly rankings ask: “What are colleges doing for the country?” Higher education, after all, isn’t just important for undergraduates. We all benefit when colleges To answer this question, the magazine created college produce groundbreaking research that drives rankings that focus on how institutions serve the economic growth, when they offer students from greater good through three major criteria—social low-income families the path to a better life, and mobility, research and service. The first criterion, when they shape the character of future leaders. social mobility, examines institutions’ ability to serve And we all pay for it, through hundreds of billions of as an “engine of social mobility” by graduating low- dollars in public subsidies. Everyone has a stake in income, Pell-eligible students. The next criterion, how that money is spent. research, concerns the amount of dollars spent on —“Introduction: A Different Kind of College Ranking,” research and the number of recipients of bachelor’s Washington Monthly 2011 College Guide degrees who pursue Ph.D.s. For the final criterion, service, the Washington Monthly weighed institutions’ This report, created jointly by UNCF’s Frederick D. public service commitment, as determined by the Patterson Research Institute and the UNCF Institute percentage of students who serve in ROTC or the for Capacity Building, presents a focused analysis Peace Corps and the percentage of funds earmarked of data featured in the Washington Monthly’s 2011 for community service. College Guide. The focus is particularly on the overall and social mobility rankings. First, we provide an How do HBCUs stack up against other higher overview of HBCUs’ tradition of offering a stellar education institutions in this ranking system? college education to underserved students. Then, we briefly discuss the purpose of college rankings, They do very well. In fact, some UNCF member provide a glimpse of the growing debates about the colleges and universities lead the pack. usefulness of college rankings, and recount the controversy surrounding the veracity of self-reported In the introduction to its 2011 college guide, the information submitted by some institutions to the Washington Monthly singled out four UNCF institutions most popular of the college ranking guides. Next, that rank especially high: we present a breakdown of the Washington Monthly’s rankings related to HBCUs. Finally, we discuss our Historically black and single-gender colleges findings from a comparison of predicted versus actual continue to rank well by our measures, as they have graduation rates of the HBCUs represented in this in years past. Morehouse and Spelman Colleges college guide. in Atlanta rank number two and number four, respectively. … Dillard and Fisk Universities—both

1 Business-Higher Education Forum. (2011). BHEF Policy Brief: Preserving the Federal Pell Grant Program.

Serving Students and the Public Good: HBCUs and the Washington Monthly’s College Rankings 05 The following sections reveal that data gleaned from based student-aid program. Forty-three percent the Washington Monthly College 2011 College Guide and come from families in which neither parent attended Rankings support research that demonstrates that college.4 Despite these challenges, HBCUs have been when it comes to moving low-income, first-generation, responsive to the needs of underserved students by minority students to and through college, HBCUs providing access, academic support and a culture excel. of care to students at a level unmatched by other institutions.

HBCUs’ Commitment to A forthcoming 2012 study by UNCF’s Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute reports that a significant Social Mobility portion of students attending HBCUs come from low- income backgrounds and tend to be academically At the inception of HBCUs, before the Civil War less prepared for college than other students.5 The and during Reconstruction and the Jim Crow era, report further shows that, when one accounts for their main mission was to provide access to higher the potentially detrimental effects of these student educational opportunities primarily for African characteristics, HBCUs in the aggregate succeed in American students, for whom they were often the retaining and graduating African American students at only post-secondary education option. Later, HBCUs a higher rate than non-HBCUs. aimed to prepare these students and others for graduate study, careers and leadership roles in society.2 HBCUs now welcome and graduate diverse student populations and continue to serve as prime Considering College Rankings examples of how institutions of higher learning— despite limited resources and continuous questioning College rankings, a commonly used tool to report of their relevance—can prepare students from various various types of information (e.g., selectivity, backgrounds for the global economy. reputation) about higher educational institutions, are heavily used by parents and prospective students. HBCUs have a long-standing commitment to provide However, the metrics used by most college rankings educational access to all students. As Brown often present a skewed view of HBCUs that fails to and Freeman note, these institutions have been capture the distinctive value of these colleges and dedicated to providing students with educational universities. These rankings “are based on many of opportunities “regardless of academic preparation, the very issues that HBCUs struggle with—resources, test scores, socio-economic status, or environmental alumni giving, and student selectivity—and there is no circumstances,” opportunities that might not otherwise contextualization of these issues,” notes researcher 6 be available to these students.3 Although HBCUs Marybeth Gasman. Ultimately, low rankings can attract incredibly bright students, they also attract discourage prospective students from choosing HBCUs students who have yet to reach their academic as an option for higher education. A president of one potential. Many HBCU students were underserved in UNCF member institution notes, their K-12 academic preparation for myriad reasons, including low socio-economic backgrounds and If there are people looking at the rankings as a substandard educational systems. Forty-six percent measurement of the quality of an institution, they of HBCU students, for example, come from families think [HBCUs] do not have any type of qualities. [The with incomes lower than $36,000. Fifty percent receive rankings] do not tell you who the best schools are, 7 Pell Grants, the federal government’s largest need- just the most privileged.

2 Lomax, M. (2007). Historically black colleges and universities: Bringing a tradition of engagement into the twenty-first century. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 11 (3). 3 Brown, M.C. III, & Freeman, K. (2002). Guest editors’ introduction. The Review of Higher Education, 25(3), 241–261. 4 2007-08 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:08). (2009). Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. 5 Richards, D., & Awokoya, J. (Forthcoming, 2012). Understanding HBCU retention and completion. Fairfax, VA: Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute, UNCF. 6 Gasman, M. (2010, August 19). Ranking historically black colleges and universities. [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/blogs/innovations/ranking-historically- black-collegesuniversities/26353 7 See Kamara, M. (2007, June 28). Are U.S. News’ rankings inherently biased against black colleges? Diverse Issues in Higher Education.

06 Serving Students and the Public Good: HBCUs and the Washington Monthly’s College Rankings Most agree that institutions should be held (social mobility, research and public service); and 2) accountable for the quality of higher education social mobility—serving the needs of students from they deliver. However, standard college rankings underserved communities. Two major conclusions are often serve as a misleading tool for determining an drawn: institution’s ability to meet or exceed student needs and expectations. • HBCUs consistently rank in the top 50 percent of institutions on both the overall ranking and the Thus, in recent years, many colleges and universities— social mobility ranking. predominantly white institutions as well as HBCUs and other special-mission institutions—have questioned • HBCUs tend to outperform expectations the data and the methodology used by conventional in successfully graduating students from ranking services. They especially challenge the ways disadvantaged backgrounds, one of the areas in which metrics of collegiate success (e.g., SAT included within the social mobility category. When scores, graduation rates, retention rates) are chosen, institutions are rated on the basis of actual versus 8 measured, collected and reported. A recent report predicted graduation rates, HBCUs tend to perform by the National Association for College Admission at an above-average level and significantly better Counseling also reveals that the majority of college than when they are evaluated strictly on the basis admissions officers “hold negative opinions of the U.S. of actual graduation rates. News &World Report’s undergraduate rankings,” the most popular of the college guides. Nonetheless, they The following sections highlight data on HBCUs from use that publication to gather information about other the Washington Monthly’s 2011 College Guide and schools and to market their own institutions.9 Rankings to further raise awareness of the ways in which HBCUs are contributing to the public good. In Meanwhile, the competition to be among the highest particular, we examined the publication’s ranked lists ranked colleges and universities has sparked some of 249 liberal arts colleges (median = 125) and 309 disturbing behavior. Over the years, some institutions baccalaureate colleges (median = 155).11 These two have resorted to manipulating their data to put their categories were chosen for their relevance to UNCF’s institutions in a more favorable light. According to a institutional membership. recent New York Times article, “several colleges in recent years have been caught gaming the system—in For both of these rankings, we highlight those scores particular, the avidly watched U.S. News & World Report and ranks specifically for HBCUs to demonstrate how rankings—by twisting the meanings of rules, cherry- they compare with the rest of the ranked colleges and picking data or just lying.”10 universities.

Washington Monthly Findings Overall Rankings Related to HBCUs The overall ranking created by the Washington Monthly The current report presents a focused analysis of positions institutions based on a composite score, data in the Washington Monthly 2011 College Guide derived from three sub-rankings: social mobility, and Rankings related to public and private HBCUs. public service and research. On the composite score, In particular, the emphasis is on where HBCUs stand 83 percent of the liberal arts HBCUs were above the relative to: 1) the overall rankings of U.S. colleges median. Likewise, in the ranking of 309 baccalaureate and universities compiled across the three categories

8 The presidents of more than 60 of the nation’s colleges and universities signed a letter drafted by the Education Conservancy that protests the U.S. News & World Report rankings. Retrieved from http://www.educationconservancy.org/presidents_letter.html See also Kaplan, M. (2007, June 20). Reaming college rankings. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost. com/marty-kaplan/reaming-college-rankings_b_52995.htm 9 A view of the U.S. News & World report rankings of undergraduate institutions from the college admission counseling perspective. (2011). National Association for College Admission Counseling. 10 Perez-Pena, R., & Slotnik, D. (2012, February 1). Gaming the College Rankings. The New York Times, p. A14. 11 “Median” is used throughout this report (rather than “average”) to refer to the exact midpoint of a ranking. Colleges that are above the median are, by definition, in the top 50 percent.

Serving Students and the Public Good: HBCUs and the Washington Monthly’s College Rankings 07 colleges, 77 percent of HBCUs were ranked above the Baccalaureate Colleges Overall Ranking: median. In other words, most ranked HBCUs were in HBCUs above the Median the top half of the overall rankings. (For a complete Overall Rank Institution Overall Score list, please see the Appendix.) (median=155) 1 100 Liberal Arts Colleges Overall Ranking: Elizabeth City State University* 5 89 HBCUs above the Median 10 79 Overall Rank Institution (median=125) Overall Score 15 71 2 98 at 18 71 4 95 Pine Bluff* Fisk University 16 79 Saint Augustine’s College 31 67 25 72 32 66 32 69 34 64 76 56 37 64 West Virginia State University* 77 56 Virginia Union University 39 62 82 55 * 41 61 for Women 87 54 * 48 59 Huston-Tillotson University 96 53 51 59 53 59 *Non-UNCF HBCU. SOURCE: Washington Monthly’s 2011 College Guide and Kentucky State University* 54 58 Rankings Le Moyne-Owen College 79 52 Bethune-Cookman University 83 51 Composite Ranking of Liberal Arts HBCUs 122 46 Winston-Salem State 139 45 University* 17% 153 43

*Non-UNCF HBCU. HBCUs Ranked SOURCE: Washington Monthly’s 2011 College Guide and above the Median Rankings

HBCUs Ranked below the Median Composite Ranking of Baccalaureate HBCUs 83%

23%

SOURCE: Washington Monthly’s 2011 College Guide and Rankings HBCUs Ranked above the Median

HBCUs Ranked below the Median

77%

SOURCE: Washington Monthly’s 2011 College Guide and Rankings

08 Serving Students and the Public Good: HBCUs and the Washington Monthly’s College Rankings Social Mobility Liberal Arts Colleges Social Mobility Ranking: Rankings HBCUs above the Median Percentage of Social Mobility Students Graduation Rate The Washington Monthly’s social Institution Rank Difference (% (median=125) Receiving Pell points) mobility ranking is based on a Grants composite score, derived from Lane College 2 88 1 the percentage of students at the institution receiving Pell Tougaloo College 3 93 -9 Grants and the institution’s actual Spelman College 4 39 31 and predicted graduation rates Bennett College for Women 5 64 26 (particularly the difference between Fisk University 7 54 16 the two, which we computed using the numbers provided by Morehouse College 8 50 10 the Washington Monthly in its 2011 Rust College 9 77 3 College Guide and Rankings). In the Dillard University 11 73 -1 ranking of 249 liberal arts colleges, 100 percent of the HBCUs included Huston-Tillotson University 12 72 0 were ranked above the median. Johnson C. Smith University 24 56 6 Most of the baccalaureate HBCUs West Virginia State University* 27 63 -5 were also above the midpoint: among 309 baccalaureate colleges, 76 68 -7 85 percent of the HBCUs included were above the median. *Non-UNCF HBCU. SOURCE: Washington Monthly’s 2011 College Guide and Rankings, with authors’ analysis Baccalaureate Colleges Social Mobility Ranking: HBCUs above the Median Social Mobility Rank Percentage of Students Graduation Rate Institution (median=155) Receiving Pell Grants Difference (% points) Claflin University 4 71 17 Wiley College 5 96 8 Tuskegee University 11 67 7 Texas College 12 99 -8 Saint Augustine’s College 13 70 27 Elizabeth City State University* 15 66 19 Stillman College 16 82 -4 Benedict College 17 80 14 Bethune-Cookman University 21 70 8 Voorhees College 24 83 8 Shaw University 33 72 14 Le Moyne-Owen College 43 80 -6 Winston-Salem State University* 53 60 5 University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff* 56 72 3 Livingstone College 63 71 8 Virginia Union University 71 63 13 Central State University* 81 75 -1 Langston University* 83 78 -7 Harris-Stowe State University* 104 71 0 113 77 -8 Philander 131 61 -13 Saint Paul’s College 154 71 -3

*Non-UNCF HBCU. SOURCE: Washington Monthly’s 2011 College Guide and Rankings, with authors’ analysis

Serving Students and the Public Good: HBCUs and the Washington Monthly’s College Rankings 09 Social Mobility Ranking of Baccalaureate HBCUs resources they devote to their success, and some students (e.g., those with a higher socio-economic status and more academic preparation) are more likely to graduate within a six-year period regardless of the institution in which they enroll. Disadvantaged 15% or underprepared students may stop out because of financial or academic challenges and thus take longer HBCUs Ranked to earn their baccalaureate degrees. To really assess Above the Median how well institutions are doing, we have to account for HBCUs Ranked differences in the students they enroll. Below the Median

85% To produce its predicted graduation rates for the college rankings, the Washington Monthly took into account students’ academic preparation by measuring SAT scores and socio-economic status (i.e., whether they receive Pell Grants)—a commonly used model. SOURCE: Washington Monthly’s 2011 College Guide and It must be noted that in recent years, educators Rankings across the higher education spectrum have begun to question the validity of some of the most commonly Graduation Rate Rankings used graduation rate predictors, such as SAT scores. And as it turns out, the predicted versus actual The Washington Monthly’s 2011 College Guide and graduation rates of more than half of the HBCUs Rankings, using data from the National Center in the Washington Monthly college rankings actually for Education Statistics’ Integrated Postsecondary defy the prediction model. As an example, if Spelman Education Data System (IPEDS), included two College enrolled students who are 52 percent likely graduation rate statistics for each institution: an actual to graduate, based on their background and pre- (six-year) graduation rate and a predicted graduation college factors noted, we would expect that institution rate (which it computed from the percentage of to graduate 52 percent of those students within six students receiving Pell Grants as well as students’ years. Because Spelman’s actual graduation rate (83 average SAT scores). We present the Washington percent) is in fact higher than this predicted graduation Monthly’s graduation rates for HBCUs here, as well as rate, we have a good indication that the institution is the difference between them, to show how well HBCUs outperforming expectations. outperform expectations based on whom they enroll and the campus resources available to them. Although Subtracting the actual graduation rate from the the Washington Monthly 2011 College Guide and predicted graduation rate produces a difference Rankings do not present a ranking of the graduation score (31 percentage points, in the case of Spelman) rate difference, we ranked the institutions on the basis that provides us with a useful indicator of how well of this graduation rate difference and present the the institution is outperforming expectations. This HBCU ranks here. difference score demonstrates which institutions are doing a better job than predicted of graduating Consider actual graduation rates in the ranking. For their students. For liberal arts colleges, 50 percent of liberal arts colleges, only eight percent of HBCUs are HBCUs are better than the median when the difference above the median, and for baccalaureate colleges, between actual and predicted graduation rates is only 12 percent of HBCUs are above the median. But calculated. For baccalaureate colleges, 58 percent of we argue that six-year graduation rates alone are a HBCUs score higher than the median. poor metric for whether institutions are doing a good job of helping their students graduate. Colleges vary These rankings drive home two important points: widely in the kind of students they enroll and the First, it is very important, when evaluating graduation

10 Serving Students and the Public Good: HBCUs and the Washington Monthly’s College Rankings rates, to take into consideration the characteristics characteristics (e.g., pre-college preparation, SAT of the students being enrolled. Second, graduation scores) that may also affect graduation rates.14 rate calculations are inaccurate if they do not account for sometimes large numbers of students who often When SAT scores and Pell Grant recipients are taken require substantial resources to educate. Researchers into account, approximately half of HBCUs rank above are raising concerns over the current federal definition the median and half rank below the median. HBCUs for calculating graduation rates, which uses degree fare more poorly in assessments of graduation rates completion rates for first-time, full-time students who that do not account for SAT scores or Pell recipients, earn their bachelor’s degrees within six consecutive with roughly nine-tenths of HBCUs performing years as the primary measure of institutional below the median. But this method of assessing performance.12 According to Ashley et al., this performance, regardless of being less favorable, is practice places HBCUs at a significant disadvantage also less rigorous or realistic, as it ignores differences because they disproportionately enroll low-income, in the enrolled student populations. Considering the first-generation, part-time and transfer students— characteristics of their enrolled students, HBCUs are populations whose degree completions cannot doing much better at getting them through college be reflected accurately by the current graduation and into the workforce and graduate schools than we calculations.13 Further, these traditional measures would suppose from graduation rates alone. provide little insight into the various student-level

HBCU Liberal Arts Colleges Graduation Rates by Ranking above the Median Graduation Rate Graduation Rate Predicted Actual Institution Rank (median=125) Difference (% points) Graduation Rate Graduation Rate Spelman College 1 31 52% 83% Bennett College for Women 2 26 22% 48% Fisk University 8 16 41% 57% Morehouse College 20 10 50% 60% Johnson C Smith University 59 6 32% 38% Rust College 108 3 20% 23% SOURCE: Washington Monthly’s 2011 College Guide and Rankings, with authors’ analysis

These rankings drive home two important points: First, it is very important, when evaluating graduation rates, to take into consideration the characteristics of the students being enrolled. Second, graduation rate calculations are inaccurate if they do not account for sometimes large numbers of students who often require substantial resources to educate.

12 Nelson, L.A. (2012). Last rites for graduation rate. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/04/12/education-department- changing-graduation-rate-measurements. 13 Ashley, D., Gasman, M., Mason, R., Sias, M., & Wright, G. (2009). Making the grade: Improving degree attainment at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Washington, DC: Thurgood Marshall College Fund. 14 Richards, D., & Awokoya, J. (Forthcoming, 2012). Understanding HBCU retention and completion. Fairfax, VA: Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute, UNCF.

Serving Students and the Public Good: HBCUs and the Washington Monthly’s College Rankings 11 HBCU Baccalaureate Colleges Graduation Rates by Ranking above the Median Graduation Rate Graduation Rate Predicted Actual Institution Rank (median=155) Difference (% points) Graduation Rate Graduation Rate Saint Augustine’s College 4 27 21% 48% Elizabeth City State University* 10 19 27% 46% Claflin University 21 17 30% 47% Shaw University 38 14 20% 34% Benedict College 39 14 17% 31% Virginia Union University 41 13 23% 36% Bethune-Cookman University 60 8 28% 36% Voorhees College 61 8 17% 25% Wiley College 64 8 15% 23% Livingstone College 70 8 20% 28% Tuskegee University 78 7 34% 41% Winston-Salem State University* 93 5 31% 36% * 104 4 8% 12% University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff* 123 3 22% 25% Oakwood University 145 1 39% 40% *Non-UNCF HBCU. SOURCE: Washington Monthly’s 2011 College Guide and Rankings, with authors’ analysis

Conclusion The Washington Monthly’s focus on social mobility, research and public service is consistent with the growing emphasis in this country on producing college As traditional college ranking systems come under graduates who are as committed to contributing to the greater scrutiny, the Washington Monthly College Guide betterment of society as they are to earning a good and Rankings provides a fresh and relevant set of living. metrics for ranking higher education institutions in the United States. As the introduction to the guide states: The fact that HBCUs perform extremely well in the Everyone knows that colleges change their policies overall ranking and in this guide’s category of social to climb the U.S. News [College Guide] ladder by mobility is not surprising. Rather, it provides empirical rejecting more student applications, hounding data to support what these institutions have always alumni for donations, and spending lavish sums on known: When it comes to providing opportunities attention-getting buildings and star faculty hires. for college success for underserved students—in Imagine if they applied similar ingenuity to the particular those who are first generation and from low- task of improving community service, preparing income communities—HBCUs not only stand with but, undergraduates for careers in the sciences, in many cases, outperform the rest. and helping low-income students earn degrees. Colleges that have no chance of climbing the U.S. News status ladder would receive long-overdue recognition, while institutions that have selfishly hoarded their resources would face new pressure to give back.

12 Serving Students and the Public Good: HBCUs and the Washington Monthly’s College Rankings Appendix: Ranks and Scores for Liberal Arts HBCUs Ranked in the Washington Monthly’s 2011 College Guide and Rankings

Social Mobility

Overall Students Predicted Actual Liberal Arts Colleges Rank Receiving Pell Graduation Graduation Rank Score Grants Rate Rate Bennett College for Women 54 87 64% 22% 48% 2 Dillard University 72 25 73% 29% 28% 160 Fisk University 79 16 54% 41% 57% 8 Huston-Tillotson University 53 96 72% 29% 29% 139 Jarvis Christian College 38 186 68% 18% 11% 203 Johnson C. Smith University 48 128 56% 32% 38% 59 Lane College 56 76 88% 24% 25% 127 Morehouse College 98 2 50% 50% 60% 20 Rust College 55 82 77% 20% 23% 105 Spelman College 95 4 39% 52% 83% 1 Tougaloo College 69 32 93% 51% 42% 214 West Virginia State University* 56 77 63% 33% 28% 189 *Non-UNCF HBCU.

When it comes to providing opportunities for college success for underserved students—in particular those who are first generation and from low-income communities—HBCUs not only stand with but, in many cases, outperform the rest.

Serving Students and the Public Good: HBCUs and the Washington Monthly’s College Rankings 13 Appendix: Ranks and Scores for Baccalaureate HBCUs Ranked in the Washington Monthly’s 2011 College Guide and Rankings

Social Mobility

Overall Students Predicted Actual Baccalaureate Colleges Rank Receiving Pell Graduation Graduation Rank Score Grants Rate Rate Benedict College 15 71 80% 17% 31% 39 Bethune-Cookman University 83 51 70% 28% 36% 60 * 173 41 56% 34% 22% 270 Central State University* 48 59 75% 20% 19% 174 Claflin University 10 79 71% 30% 47% 21 Edward Waters College 227 35 77% 20% 12% 242 Elizabeth City State University* 5 89 66% 27% 46% 10 Harris-Stowe State University* 193 39 71% 21% 21% 161 Kentucky State University* 54 58 51% 31% 24% 231 Langston University* 41 61 78% 21% 14% 235 Le Moyne-Owen College 79 52 80% 22% 16% 229 Livingstone College 153 43 71% 20% 28% 70 Oakwood University 53 59 33% 39% 40% 145 Paul Quinn College 290 25 76% 8% 12% 104 226 35 61% 34% 21% 275 Saint Augustine’s College 31 67 70% 21% 48% 4 Saint Paul’s College 264 31 71% 20% 17% 190 Shaw University 51 59 72% 20% 34% 38 Stillman College 32 66 82% 25% 21% 203 Texas College 122 46 99% 16% 8% 245 Tuskegee University 1 100 67% 34% 41% 78 University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff* 18 71 72% 22% 25% 123 Virginia Union University 39 62 63% 23% 36% 41 Voorhees College 34 64 83% 17% 25% 61 Wiley College 37 64 96% 15% 23% 64 Wnston-Salem State University 45 139 60% 31% 36% 93 *Non-UNCF HBCU.

14 Serving Students and the Public Good: HBCUs and the Washington Monthly’s College Rankings

Serving Students and the Public Good: HBCUs and the Washington Monthly’s College Rankings

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